By David Owen
May 26 – FIFA is to conduct an inspection in earthquake-stricken Nepal to better evaluate the assistance to be given in the wake of the two devastating quakes in three weeks that have left more than 8,000 people dead.
By Andrew Warshaw and Samindra Kunti
May 22 – Jordan’s Prince Ali bin al-Hussein insists it not a foregone conclusion that his own confederation will vote against him at next week’s FIFA presidential election.
By Samindra Kunti and Andrew Warshaw
May 22 – Michael van Praag says it was always the plan to end up with one candidate to go against Sepp Blatter for FIFA president and that it gradually became apparent he could not poll as much global support as Prince Ali bin al-Hussein.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, the young reformist who entered the FIFA presidential race knowing it was win or bust, will go head-to-head with Sepp Blatter next week after Luis Figo joined Michael Van Praag on the sidelines as both dramatically withdrew on the same day.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – Visa has expressed its “grave concern” over the plight of migrant workers in Qatar in the strongest reaction to date by any of FIFA’s commercial partners over an issue that continues to plague organisers of the 2022 World Cup.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – Michael van Praag has withdrawn from next week’s FIFA presidential election campaign and has joined forces with Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein in a strategic bid to oust Sepp Blatter.
Andrew Warshaw
May 21 – Sepp Blatter has completed his Middle East “peace mission” and can now only wait nervously to see whether his shuttle diplomacy has had the desired effect of persuading Palestine to drop its formal proposal to have Israel thrown out of FIFA.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – Michael van Praag and Luis Figo are reportedly set to withdraw from the FIFA presidential race, leaving Asia’s outgoing FIFA vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan to go head-to-head with Sepp Blatter next week.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – FIFA will agree the bidding regulations for the 2026 World Cup next week with Europe and Asia almost certain to be excluded.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 18 – FIFA president Sepp Blatter says he plans to visit the United States in June next year as he dismissed claims that he is avoiding setting foot in the country for fear of being caught up in an FBI probe.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 15 – Despite his indefatigable globetrotting as FIFA president, Sepp Blatter has avoided setting foot in the United States for fear of being caught up in an FBI investigation into the organisation he has run for 17 years.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 14 – Four and half years after the vote to hand the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, one of FIFA’s former vice-presidents has been banned for a second time for his conduct in the build-up to the contest – this time for eight years.
By Alexander Krassimirov
May 14 – When it comes to money Bulgaria can be gloomy place for football with clubs desperate for cash, players often unpaid and sponsors in short supply. But this month the Bulgarians have had some good news with FIFA approving the country’s $1.1 million ‘Goal’ application to build a new training camp for the national team near Sofia.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 12 – World Cup qualifiers with a high risk of racist incidents are to be targeted by FIFA as it steps up the fight against discrimination. A new monitoring system of specialists will be put in place both during the 2018 qualifying competition, which covers some 900 games globally, and the finals themselves in Russia.
By Andrew Warshaw
May 11 – Sepp Blatter will try one last time to forge a compromise to prevent Palestine’s call for Israel to be suspended from FIFA from being put to the vote at the FIFA Congress on May 29.